BASF has announced its global and Asia Pacific color trends forecast for the coming two to three years. The theme of the latest color trend forecast, “Wide Awake,” indicates that people are fully alert to the challenges of the future. Another key concept of “Wide Awake” expresses the energy and passion of people to move forward by accepting reality and changing their way of thinking.

Color Trends in Asia Pacific
Natural disasters and a market slowdown due to global economic uncertainties have given people in Asia Pacific an opportunity to pause and think about what is truly important to them. People are finding comfort in the scents of their homeland and are focusing on colors and designs that project the unique qualities of their cultures and nations. There will be an emergence of refined, rich colors with a wide range of red, gold-based colors, as well as colors of nature, such as brown and olive.

Colors used in the automotive industry also strongly reflect the socio-economic sentiments in the region. While neutral colors such as black, silver, gray, white remain the order of the day, hues with green-color influence are starting to emerge. Brown will continue to be popular too. In fast-developing Asian countries, the preference for more nature-related colors such as browns and greens suggests that people are gradually leaning towards a more leisure-oriented urban lifestyle, as opposed to focusing entirely on luxury.

“We are going to see more typically Asian colors used in vehicles in the region,” said Chiharu Matsuhara, Chief Color Designer, Color Design Center Asia Pacific, BASF Japan Ltd. “The emerging sentiment is to value our origins and show our own style instead of being led by other foreign cultures and preferences,” Matsuhara explained.

In India, the rising number of women and younger car owners is going to impact the future automotive color trend. These up-and-coming car owners are more style-conscious and the color of their cars will be a statement of their personal taste. “BASF’s color trend forecast is highly valued by our customers, the car manufacturers. The information is helpful to their design and production planning,” said Christophe Cazabeau, Chief Executive, Coatings Solutions, BASF India Limited. “When we develop new coatings solutions for customers, we combine our color design and take into consideration the popular colors and trends,” Cazabeau added.

For motorcycles – a popular means of transportation in Asia Pacific – color preferences vary more, according to local cultures and use. Among motorcycles for family use, conservative and luxurious colors like pearl white, black, silver remain popular. In addition to neutral colors, motorcycles for personal use also feature a kaleidoscope of bright colors to reflect individual style.

Global Color Trends
In recent years, the world has faced numerous challenges, including adverse financial situations and frequent occurrence of natural disasters in various places around the globe. In this difficult environment, people are waking up to how precious everyday life is and what true wealth is, and are seeking a sense of security. Tranquil colors and natural tone colors will become the mainstream – for example, colors based on green, blue-green and olive-gray. Brown continues to be popular worldwide, and green-based colors are expanding.

At the same time, people are learning to accept reality, change their way of thinking and move forward. As a result, the common tie between the regions of Asia Pacific, Europe and North America is the forward-thinking awareness of people and this is reflected in the latest color trends. Based on the global theme of “Wide Awake”, color trends that are common worldwide are classified into “Invent (Create)”, “Narrate (Story Telling)” and “Cultivate (Nurture Creativity)”.